A presentation at Connect Tech in in Atlanta, GA, USA by Todd Libby
Accessibility Overlays Why You Should Avoid Them Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
THANK YOU Connect.Tech Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
THANK YOU SPONSORS Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
THANK YOU ATTENDEES! Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
HASHTAGS #CONNECTTECH #CONNECTTECH2022 #DEVELOPERCOMMUNITY #ACCESSIBILITY
ABOUT TODD • Senior Accessibility Engineer • Accessibility Advocate • 23 years professional experience • W3C Invited Expert • Lobster Roll Connaisseur • Phoenix, AZ
Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
What is Web Accessibility?
WEB ACCESSIBILITY IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CAN ACCESS WEBSITES AND OTHER WEB BASED SYSTEMS SUCH AS BANKING AND ONLINE RETAIL
“The ability for people with disabilities to access the Web without hinderance. Access to all persons.” –ME
What is an Accessibility Overlay? Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
Universal Accessibility Logo Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
Another accessibility logo you see in parking spots Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
Universal Accessibility logo again Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
Heatonist.com web site that uses an overlay Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
A closer view of the overlay icon Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
Let’s take a look! Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“Overlays are here to stay. So are ‘male enhancement pills’.” –KARL GROVES Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
PROS Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
There are no pros. Accessibility overlays are bad.
CONS Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
The stench of overlays
• Poor ethics • Deception of testers • False advertising • Fake reviews & users • Legal intimidation • Create barriers • Tracking users & visitors
Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“Ethics change with technology.” –LARRY NIVEN Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
• Representatives have gone after accessibility professionals in public settings • Twitter DMs attacking accessibility professionals and sending cease & desists • Threats on LinkedIn in comments section of shared posts that refute claims • Legal wrangling with accessibility professionals
Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” –ANDRÉ MALRAUX Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
• Add-on appears as a toolbar • Third-party software that creates more barriers • WAVE will not function properly with some overlays • One line of JavaScript will cure all accessibility issues AND the ADA! • Performance vacuum
Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” –MARK TWAIN Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
• 100% Accessibile site! • Covers the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) 100%! • Ghost writers with articles written by “admin” • Formatted advertisements to look like “articles” • The customer will be protected from litigation
Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“Those who can write, write. Those who can’t, criticize.” –MAX HAWTHORNE Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
• WordPress.com removed dozens of fake reviews on the plugin site • Fake profiles of people who claimed to use the product • Exaggerated numbers of customers • Pays for Praise • Reviewers usually work for the company
Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“Facts are threatening to those invested in fraud.” –DASHANNE STOKES Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“The world isn’t built with a ramp.” – WALT BALENOVICH Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
“Not only can accessiBe identify me as a unique individual with a disability and also associate that info with that person’s name and any other information they can obtain from LinkedIn, Twitter, and public sources.” – Léonie Watson Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
IAAP.ORG INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ACCESSIBILITY PROFESSIONALS Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
Allowed accessiBe, an overlay company, to be a vendor at an IAAP conference. Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
W3C WORLD WIDE WEB CONSORTIUM Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
accessiBe, UserWay are W3C members after repeated harassment of accessibility professionals one social media platforms. Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
UserWay COO proposed an overlay W3C group, then when confronted about their motives, “rebranded” as “Accessibility at the Edge CG (Community Group). Todd Libby - 8 November, 2022 @toddlibby - Connect Tech
A picture of a snake oil salesman on his wagon selling “miracle elixirs”
“Accessibility is a right, not a privilege.” –ME… AGAIN
“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disabilities an essential aspect.” — Sir Tim Berners Lee
https://toddl.dev/slides
More and more these days “accessibility” overlays are taking over the Web landscape. The impact of these is far-reaching and the marketing behind it drives the overlay space as more and more unsuspecting companies and organizations sign contracts with these unscrupulous overlay vendors and get duped into thinking that an overlay will fix all their accessibility issues. In fact, they are more and more prevalent daily.
I will go into what overlays are, why they create more barriers than they do remove them, and explain to the audience why they are harmful to the disabled community and what to do when you come across an overlay and how to fight back and make the Web more accessible by taking these overlays down.
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
Overlays are a broad term for technologies that aim to improve the accessibility of a website. They apply third-party source code (typically JavaScript) to make improvements to the front-end code of the website.
Adrian’s article about the W3C community group that was formed by UserWay
False advertising harms consumers and is damaging to a fair marketplace. It is also illegal. In addition to false advertising being a violation of Federal law, all 50 states have legislation aimed at protecting consumers in their state from deceptive practices.
My take on the harassment of accessibility professionals and experts on social media by overlay company represenatives.
Web accessibility professional
Web Accessibility Expert
Using an overlay service will get you sued. Adrian goes into detail about it.
for free. You
can too.